…We’re Happy, He’ll Be Defeated Hands Down Come Saturday -Borno APC
By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
The Court of Appeal sitting in Gombe, the Gombe S capital, on Monday reinstated Barrister Mohammed Kumalia as the authentic candidate for the Borno Central senatorial district on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Kumalia has been in court battle with Hon Jubrin Tatabe, who claimed he was the candidate of the party, even as the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state also took Kumalia to the Federal High Court in Maiduguri, where the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to set aside the publication of Hon Kumalia’s name as PDP candidate for Borno Central senatorial election.
The court had ordered Hon Kumalia to immediately stop parading himself as the PDP senatorial candidate for Borno Central ahead of the general election.
Reacting to the judgement, the Borno State chairman of the APC, Hon Ali Bukar Dalori, said that the APC and its senatorial candidate for Borno Central senatorial district, Kaka Shehu Lawan, were neither intimidated nor have nothing to fear.
He insisted that it would be very difficult for Kumalia, who remained an Abuja-ased politician for over a decade, to even win his polling unit, not to talk of his ward in the constituency.
Dalori claimed that his party is very satisfied with the appeal court judgement in favour of Kumalia, who he said would be defeated hands down in the forthcoming Saturday polls.
Recall that the APC and its senatorial candidate for Borno Central, Hon Lawan, had approached the Federal High Court, where they sought the disqualification of Hon Kumailia on the ground that he did not participate in the PDP primary election.
Delivering his judgement on Monday 9th January in Maiduguri, Justice Jude K Dagat said that INEC erred in the first instance by publishing the name of Hon Kumailia, “who did not participate in a valid primary election.”
Dissatisfied with Justice Dagat’s judgement in suit number FHC/MG/CS/54/2022, Kumalia filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Gombe, with the APC, Lawan, PDP, INEC and Jubrin Tatabe as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents respectively.
But delivering his ruling on Monday, 20th February, in appeal number CA/G/21/2023, Justice Ebiowei Tobi and other two members of the appeal panel – Justices Ali Gumel and Jamilu Tukur – set aside the judgement of the trial court dated 9th January, 2023, struck out the originating summons for want of jurisdiction, lack of merit and declared Kumalia as the bonafide candidate of the PDP for Borno Central senatorial district.
Reacting to the verdict at a press conference in his residence in Maiduguri on Monday evening, Kumalia expressed confidence over the ruling in his favour.
He said, “I have every reason to thank God and to appreciate our judiciary for standing by the truth and for not yielding to any influence. I believe that we can still be proud of our judiciary in this country.
“By this verdict today, i want the whole world to know that I still remain the bonafide and legitimate candidate for Borno Central senatorial district on the platform of our great party, the PDP, and Insha Allah (by God Grace), PDP will win Borno from top to bottom.”
Likewise, reacting to the allegations levelled against the APC that it was sponsoring Hon Tatabe against Kamalia’s candidature Dalori said, “The APC want to categorically warn those spreading such fake news, including Kumalia, to desist forthwith, as the APC has never in its political history sponsored anybody apart from its own candidates to compete with others, who had always failed to win elective position in the state.
“On Kumalia’s claim that he is going to win in the coming Saturday election, I want to say that Kumalia is just dreaming, because our candidate for Borno Central, Lawan, is on ground. It is on record that he has contributed his quota towards the development of our dear state, in terms of security, politics, youth/women empowerment, poverty alleviation, jobs creation in the last one decade; and as sucg Kumalia is not going to win even at his polling unit.
“Infact, APC is very happy for Kumalia to be affirmed as candidate, as he is going to defeated by the APC before 12 noon come Saturday 25th February, 2023, and you journalists will be on ground to give us your final verdict on the results on the election processes.”
